Monthly Archives: March 2017

Qld economy should be resilient to Cyclone Debbie

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Gene Tunny

While we are still to learn the full extent of the damage and economic disruption of Cyclone Debbie, we should be reasonably confident that any adverse economic impact, such as through lost crops, tourism, or disruption to coal mining and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyclones, Macroeconomy, North Queensland, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Selling QIC highly desirable and would avoid allegations of political interference regarding mega mine infrastructure

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Gene Tunny

First, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of North Queensland as they wake up to the devastation from Cyclone Debbie. In his extraordinary eulogy for Marie Antoinette, the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke lamented that the French Queen had … Continue reading →

Posted in North Queensland, Queensland Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Qld’s lacklustre population and jobs growth have gone hand in hand over the current decade

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s population, now at around 4.9 million, increased 1.4% in the year to 30 September 2016, a growth rate slightly below the national growth rate of 1.5%, but significantly below Victoria’s stand-out growth rate of 2.1% (Chart 1 based on … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Population, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Qld economy not generating enough jobs for uni, VET & school leavers

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Market economists do not appear too concerned about the new ABS jobs figures released yesterday showing the national unemployment rate increased to 5.9% in February from 5.7% in January. There is a recognition that there is a lot of noise … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RBA making it up as it goes along

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Gene Tunny

After a speech by Assistant RBA Governor Michele Bullock yesterday, there is speculation about the RBA pushing APRA to instruct banks to further restrain their lending to housing investors- strengthening the so-called macro-prudential regulation that has had only limited success … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Greater labour mobility a better way to assist PNG than budgetary support

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Last Thursday, ABC News reported that Papua New Guinea has asked for a re-direction of Australia’s foreign aid program towards direct contributions to PNG’s health and education budgets. PNG, a country already struggling with high population growth and public health … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Labour market, Tourism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Townsville getting $250M Super Stadium, but running out of water

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Gene Tunny

One definition of economics is that it is the study of the allocation of scarce resources to competing uses. It says each additional dollar should go to the use which provides the greatest additional benefit. As such, it looks very … Continue reading →

Posted in Townsville, Uncategorized, Water | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Guest post from Rod Bogaards: Trading hours’ report fails to make the case for continued regulation in Qld

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Gene Tunny

I am delighted to publish this guest post from my fellow economist Rod Bogaards, currently a consultant to the World Bank, on the recent Queensland trading hours review by John Mickel. GT Trading hours’ report fails to make the case … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Residential construction at peak in current cycle in Qld

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The mini-boom in residential construction, of both inner Brisbane apartments and detached houses in outer-lying areas in SEQ, such as Ripley, Springfield and Yarrabilba, has been important to the economy over the last couple of years. This mini-boom now appears … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fantastic December quarter result for Qld economy

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The December quarter National Accounts showed a strong rebound for the Australian economy, with economic growth at 1.1 percent for the quarter, while State Final Demand for Queensland grew at 0.9 percent over the quarter according to the ABS. (Note … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments